


Review of With All My Heart

by yourlibrarian



Series: Reviews [11]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode Review, Episode: s05e09 With All My Heart, Gen, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6706063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlibrarian/pseuds/yourlibrarian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I had two major issues with it. And both these issues tied into a complete tone-deafness to character development.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Review of With All My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted May 8, 2013

I had two major issues with it. And both these issues tied into a complete tone-deafness to character development.

The first was that the way it opened was so unexpected that we actually went back to make sure we hadn't missed an episode. We find out at the start that Merlin has somehow convinced Arthur that Gwen is not herself. But while the assassination attempt at the end of 5.08 was surely unexpected, it didn't point to Gwen in particular any more than any other thing she'd been doing. So how is it that Merlin was able to convince Arthur to mistrust his own wife? For that matter we have to assume that Arthur and Merlin were following her the whole time, or else how did they know where and when she and Morgana would meet? 

The way the opening scene is written seems to assume the audience is gleeful that, after Gwen bamboozles Percival, that she's been found out after all. In fact, the real crux of that opening scene is that Arthur has somehow been made to trust Merlin's word over his faith in Gwen. Yet this critical scene (or even set of scenes) occurs completely offscreen and unmentioned.

Similarly, it's never explained at any time why Arthur doesn't trust any of his other knights to accompany him on his trip (even though, the way the story plays out, it's clear this is a very foolish decision). Why not? Does he mistrust them? Does he think Gwen's image will never recover from this event if they discover the truth? Is it because he has decided to use magic in contravention of his own law? 

Both these choices revolve around crucial decisions by Arthur about where he places his trust and why. For example, in the first case, was he having his own suspicions about Gwen? Did Merlin approach him emphasizing that Gwen was in danger rather than a traitor to Camelot? 

And with his other choice about who went on the trip, what was the driving motivation? Guilt at his own hypocrisy? Paranoia regarding the people close to him? Protectiveness of his wife and, relatedly, the fragility of her own position as queen?

The show usually includes clumsy (and often unbelievable) explanations for other plot decisions. For example in "The Kindness of Strangers" there's the 100th use of a piece of clothing caught on a twig as a way of tracking people. People in the show have incredible magic but can't create a tracking spell, a cloaking spell, or a loudspeaker spell. Also, the important message Merlin apparently needed to receive was that Arthur would die at Camlann. Finna couldn't have just told him that when she first ran into him? It's not that long a message and the entire plot of the episode could have been avoided.

But the fact that there's no reference to Arthur's reasoning for going alone here suggests the writers simply don't find it important. Yet it's completely nonsensical to suggest that the King and Queen of Camelot can disappear for three days without anyone being told where they're going and why! Instead the story emphasis gets placed on Gaius and Merlin sneaking Gwen out of the castle, as if the entire place isn't going to be in a panicking uproar the next day when it's discovered the royal couple has disappeared. (And given all the magical and other attacks on Camelot, they'd be pretty justified in that panic). 

Yet curiously, the issue of trust **is** at the heart of this episode. It's just that the writers focus it elsewhere, between Merlin and Mordred (and to a lesser extent, between Mordred and Morgana, as well as Arthur and Gwen's belief in their relationship). Unfortunately nothing goes anywhere between Merlin and Mordred, so this is a tired place to focus on. What transpires between Mordred and Morgana is much more interesting, and I suspect this is building to the season finale.

Unfortunately, however good an actor Bradley James may be in other respects he seems to be hopeless at projecting romantic love. The scene where he tries to reach Gwen and draw her into the water should have been gripping and suspenseful -- perhaps the key moment in their entire relationship. Instead it was just poorly written and flatly acted, with Angel Coulby doing most of the work. 

Speaking of well acted though, Colin Morgan was amazing. He didn't even sound like himself in the scene with either the Dochraid or when he played Dolma. And although there was a touch of camp with Dolma, for the most part he played it straight and was surprisingly convincing. 

A few other things 

a) When Mordred shows up, is there some reason Merlin can't pass off some of his packs to him? Funny how he's struggling along walking with them and suddenly can run. 

b) How did Arthur's arm end up wedged underneath that rock? And really, a fall like that for him and Merlin onto rocks should have resulted in at least a few broken bones if not death.

c) So Gwen required two drops and no more for fear of overdose and yet Merlin dumps a bottle in a pitcher of wine? 

d) The show underexplains too many things and then hits us over the head with others. Was it really necessary to make Arthur seemingly forget Merlin at the end, and have Dolma insist upon what a dense, ungrateful wretch he is? Not only was it heavy handed, it's hardly new either.

There were some fun moments -- Gaius making Merlin's job even more difficult by requiring both an aging AND a gender spell; Merlin's improvisation about the black robe; the loaf of bread as Gwen passes out. But on the whole, this was sadly lacking.


End file.
